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Jorhat citizens welcome ratification of LBA

By Correspondent

JORHAT, May 7 � A day after Rajya Sabha ratified the bill for the 100th amendment of the Constitution of India for the Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh several citizens including advocates, RTI activists and youths of Jorhat today welcomed the External Affairs Ministry�s initiatives to exchange the land areas of both the countries that remained unsettled for 41 years even after a pact was signed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Bangladeshi counterpart Seikh Mujibur Rahman in 1974 for the purpose concerned.

Citing some documents received from the Prime Minister�s Office, Jorhat-based advocate Rintu Goswami in a press conference held here today said that no boundary can be constructed permanently along the porous Indo-Bangla border to prevent infiltration if the exchange of land areas is not bilaterally agreed by the two countries. On the basis of the documents, he said Bangladesh will be handed over 268.39 acres of land of Thakurbari and Moulobi Bazar area of Dhubri and Karimganj district of the State if the Land Boundary Agreement is implemented. Accordingly 1957.59 acres and 41.702 acres of land from West Bengal and Meghalaya will also be given to Bangladesh.

Referring to the document, advocate Goswami said that West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya will receive 2398.05 acres,138.41 acres and 240.578 acres of land respectively from Bangladesh during the process.

As India could neither raise any permanent boundary line with barbed-wire and nor set up any security post in the unsettled land area in Dhubri and Karimganj district of our State, infiltration of migrants, smuggling of drugs and cattle and several other items could not be prevented for the last 41 years in the area, said advocate Goswami.

�I hope the implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement will help the State to prevent infiltration from Bangladesh as it will solve the problems of demarcation of the international boundary between the two countries. Once the boundary is settled, the government will be able to construct the barbed-wire and security posts to prevent illegal migration,� said advocate Goswami. Along with him RTI activist Jitu Bora, advocate Gautam Bora and many other citizens including Arunjoy Saikia, Prabal Bora and Jayanta Borkotoki of Jorhat demanded the state government to start land-survey in the State which has not been done since 1964.

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